The Rangers play their 12th game of the 2017-18 season tomorrow, Oct. 28, against the Montreal Canadiens in an Original Six matchup at Bell Centre (7:00 p.m. ET – TV: MSG Network; Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM). The Blueshirts have won two of their last three games (2-1-0 record) and have earned at least one point in four of their last five contests (2-1-2 record).

RANGERS PRACTICE SCHEDULE

The Rangers will not have a morning skate prior to tomorrow’s contest. Rangers Head Coach Alain Vigneault will be available to the media at 5:00 p.m.

*Schedule and availability subject to change

RANGERS VS. CANADIENS

All-Time: 195-330-94-5 (129-127-54-2 at home; 66-203-40-3 on the road)

2017-18: Tomorrow’s game is the second of three meetings between the Rangers and Canadiens, and the first of two meetings between the two teams in Montreal. The Rangers have posted a 1-0-0 record (1-0-0 at home; 0-0-0 on the road), following their 2-0 win on Oct. 8 at MSG. Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 34 shots he faced to earn a win and a shutout in the contest, while Brady Skjei and Mika Zibanejad each tallied a goal. Following tomorrow’s contest, the Rangers and Canadiens will play against each other on the following date: Feb. 22 (at Montreal).

Nine of the last 15 regular season meetings between the Rangers and Canadiens have resulted in a shutout for one of the two teams (dating back to Feb. 23, 2013).

Including playoff games, the Rangers have won five of their last 10 road contests against the Canadiens in Montreal, dating back to Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final in 2014.

RANGERS-CANADIENS CONNECTIONS

David Desharnais played parts of eight seasons with the Canadiens (2009-10 – 2016-17) and is a native of Laurier-Station, Quebec. Desharnais has not played a game against the Canadiens in Montreal (he has faced the Canadiens twice: once in Edmonton as a member of the Oilers, and once in New York as a member of the Rangers).

Ryan McDonagh was selected by Montreal in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. The Rangers acquired McDonagh in a trade with the Canadiens on June 30, 2009.

Al Montoya was selected by the Rangers in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

Alain Vigneault began his NHL head coaching career with the Canadiens in 1997-98. Vigneault served as Montreal’s Head Coach for parts of four seasons (1997-98 – 2000-01).

Benoit Allaire served as Goaltending Coach with the Canadiens for one season (1996-97).

J.T. Miller, Jimmy Vesey, and Alex Galchenyuk all helped the United States win a gold medal at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship.

David Desharnais and Brandon Davidson were traded for each other as part of a trade between Montreal and Edmonton on February 28, 2017.

Ondrej Pavelec and Al Montoya were teammates with Winnipeg for two seasons (2012-13 and 2013-14).

Rick Nash and Shea Weber helped Canada earn a gold medal at the Winter Olympics in 2010 and 2014. Nash, Weber, and Carey Price helped Canada win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics in 2014.

Kevin Shattenkirk, Paul Carey, and Karl Alzner were all teammates with Washington for part of one season (2016-17). Carey and Alzner were teammates with the Capitals for parts of two seasons (2015-16 and 2016-17).

Steven Kampfer and Max Pacioretty were teammates at the University of Michigan for one season (2007-08) and helped the Wolverines win the CCHA Championship.

Max Pacioretty is a native of New Canaan, Connecticut, and he was a Rangers fan growing up.

Steven Kampfer and Jeff Petry are both natives of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Ondrej Pavelec, Ales Hemsky, and Tomas Plekanec all represented the Czech Republic at the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Pavelec and Plekanec are both natives of Kladno, Czech Republic.

J.T. Miller and Jonathan Drouin were teammates with Team North America during the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

INDIVIDUAL CAREER STATISTICS VS. CANADIENS

Ondrej Pavelec – 17 GP, 6-9-1, 2.74 GAA, .908 SV%, 2 SO – In his last three appearances against Montreal, Pavelec has posted a 2-0-0 record, along with a 1.92 GAA and a .942 SV% (81 saves on 86 shots).

Rick Nash – 20 GP, 7-4-11 – Nash has recorded a goal/point in two of his last four regular season games against Montreal, as well as in three of his last six regular season contests against the Canadiens.

Chris Kreider – 15 GP, 3-4-7 – Kreider has tallied five points (three goals, two assists) in his last five regular season games against Montreal.

Mats Zuccarello – 18 GP, 1-5-6 – Zuccarello has notched an assist/point in three of his last five regular season games against the Canadiens (three assists over the span).

RANGERS CONNECTIONS (IN ADDITION TO CURRENTLY PLAYING WITH THE BLUESHIRTS)

Ryan McDonagh and Kevin Shattenkirk have represented the United States together in several tournaments, including the 2014 Winter Olympics, the 2011 IIHF World Championship, the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship, and the 2007 IIHF World U18 Championship. McDonagh, Shattenkirk, and Chris Kreider were all teammates with Team USA at the 2011 IIHF World Championship.

Ryan McDonagh and Brendan Smith were teammates at the University of Wisconsin for three seasons (2007-08 – 2009-10).

Paul Carey, Chris Kreider, and Kevin Hayes were all teammates at Boston College for two seasons (2010-11 and 2011-12) and helped Boston College win the National Championship in 2011-12; Carey and Kreider were teammates for three seasons (2009-10 – 2011-12) and helped Boston College win two National Championships (2009-10 and 2011-12).

Kevin Hayes and Jimmy Vesey were friends growing up in Massachusetts.

J.T. Miller and Jimmy Vesey helped the United States win a gold medal at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Kevin Hayes and Brady Skjei represented the United States at the 2017 IIHF World Championship.

Michael Grabner’s first head coach in the NHL was Alain Vigneault (2009-10 with Vancouver).

Paul Carey and Nick Holden were teammates with Colorado for parts of two seasons (2013-14 and 2014-15).

Paul Carey and Kevin Shattenkirk were teammates with Washington for part of one season (2016-17).

Nick Holden and Rick Nash were teammates with Columbus for part of one season (2010-11).

Kevin Shattenkirk is a native of New Rochelle, New York. He was a Rangers fan growing up, and his favorite player was Brian Leetch.

GOALS GALORE

The Rangers have registered at least three goals in four of the last five games, including four or more goals in three of those contests (17 goals over the span), and 10 different Blueshirts have tallied a goal in the five contests. The Blueshirts are tied for fifth in the NHL in goals for since Oct. 17 (17). Through 11 games this season, 14 different Rangers have registered at least one goal.

WHAT A LINE

The Michael Grabner-Boo Nieves-Pavel Buchnevich line registered seven points (four goals, three assists) in the Rangers’ last game on Oct. 26 vs. Arizona. Each player tallied at least two points in the contest, and at least one of the three players recorded each of the team’s final four goals in the game (Buchnevich – two goals; Grabner – two goals).

ROAD WARRIORS

The Rangers are playing their third road game of the 2017-18 season tomorrow. New York led the NHL in wins (27) and points (56) on the road during the 2016-17 season (27-12-2 record). The Rangers also led the NHL in goal differential (plus-28), tied for the NHL lead in goals against (97), and tied for fourth in the NHL in goals for (125) on the road last season. The Rangers are tied for first in the NHL – and lead the Eastern Conference – in road wins since the start of the 2013-14 season (99). New York’s 27 road wins in 2016-17 were the second-most the team earned in one season in franchise history, and the only season in which the Blueshirts earned more than 27 road wins was 2014-15 (28). The Rangers’ 27 road wins last season were also tied for the fifth-most any NHL team has recorded in one season in league history.

EVEN IT UP

The Blueshirts have 14 players who have recorded an even strength goal this season. The Rangers rank third in the NHL in players who have tallied at least one even strength goal in 2017-18, and the only teams that have more players who have tallied an even strength goal are Florida (16) and Columbus (15).

FIRST IN SCORE

The Rangers have recorded the first goal of the game in four of the last seven contests and in five of the last nine contests. The Blueshirts have posted a 3-2-0 record in games which they tallied the first goal thus far in 2017-18. New York is tied for fourth in the NHL in first period goals this season (12).

SHOOTING GALLERY

The Blueshirts have registered at least 30 shots on goal in seven of the last eight games and in nine of 11 games in 2017-18.

AV SQUAD

Alain Vigneault has earned 617 career wins as an NHL head coach, and he is one win away from passing Jacques Lemaire for sole possession of 13th place on the league’s all-time wins list among head coaches. Vigneault leads all Rangers head coaches (min. 100 games coached) in points percentage in franchise history (.619).

BOO!

Boo Nieves registered three assists/points, including his first career NHL assist/point, while skating in his second career NHL game on Oct. 26 vs. Arizona. He became the first Ranger to post a three-point game in one of his first two NHL game since Derek Stepan on Oct. 9, 2010 at Buffalo. In addition, Nieves became the first Ranger to post a three-assist game in one of his first two NHL games since Dominic Moore on Nov. 1, 2003 at Montreal.

BUCH BOOST

Pavel Buchnevich posted his first career multi-goal game in the NHL by tallying two goals on Oct. 26 vs. Arizona. He has registered three points (two goals, one assist) and a plus-four rating over the last two games and has notched four points (three goals, one assist) in the last five contests.

UP FOR GRABS

Michael Grabner registered two goals, including the game-winning goal, tied a single-game career-high with a plus-four rating, and led all skaters with eight shots on goal on Oct. 26 vs. Arizona. He has tallied three goals/points in the last five games, and he is tied for the team lead in even strength goals this season (three).

CAPTAIN MAC

Ryan McDonagh has tallied an assist/point in three of the last five games (three assists). McDonagh has skated in 232 games as the Rangers captain since being named the 27th captain in franchise history on Oct. 6, 2014, and he is one game away from tying Kelly Kisio for the sixth-most games played as the Rangers’ captain in franchise history. The only players who have played more games while serving as the Rangers’ captain than McDonagh has thus far in his career are Mark Messier (697), Bill Cook (475), Bob Nevin (449), Barry Beck (307), George “Red” Sullivan (280), and Kisio (233). McDonagh is tied for the NHL lead in plus/minus rating since the start of the 2014-15 season (plus-69).

Most games played as Rangers captain

Mark Messier – 697

Bill Cook – 475

Bob Nevin – 449

Barry Beck – 307

George “Red” Sullivan – 280

Kelly Kisio – 233

Ryan McDonagh – 232

Phil Esposito – 220

Art Coulter – 218

Vic Hadfield – 218

Brian Leetch – 208

Andy Bathgate – 196

Chris Drury – 182

Dave Maloney – 180

Neil Colville – 178

Ryan Callahan – 166

Jaromir Jagr – 164

Harry Howell – 155

Ott Heller – 140

Don Raleigh – 129

Allan Stanley – 102

Frank Eddolls – 88

Ron Greschner – 78

Brad Park – 78

Buddy O’Connor – 66

Camille Henry – 61

Walt Tkaczuk – 20

*Note: does not include games in which a player wore the “C” but was not officially the team’s captain (ex: games when Brian Leetch wore the “C” when Mark Messier was injured during the 2001-02 season are not included for Leetch’s total number of games when he served as the Rangers captain)

RICK ROLLING

Rick Nash skated in his 1,000th career NHL game on Oct. 26 vs. Arizona. He became the 312th player in NHL history (314th including goaltenders) to play in at least 1,000 career games, and he also became the 22nd player to skate in his 1,000th career NHL game while playing with the Rangers. Nash is one of four NHL players who have recorded at least four shots on goal in eight or more games this season (along with Alex Ovechkin, Phil Kessel, and Sidney Crosby).

PAV’S PARTY

Ondrej Pavelec made 27 saves and earned his first win as a Ranger on Oct. 26 vs. Arizona. He made his 10,000th career NHL save in the contest, becoming the third Czech-born goaltender in NHL history to make at least 10,000 career saves (along with Dominik Hasek and Tomas Vokoun).

ON THE MARC

Marc Staal skated in his 700th career NHL game, as well as his 700th career game as a Ranger, on Oct. 26 vs. Arizona. Staal became the 12th skater – and sixth defenseman – in franchise history to play at least 700 games as a member of the Blueshirts.

CENTER OF ATTENTION

David Desharnais posted a four-game point streak from Oct. 14 vs. New Jersey to Oct. 21 vs. Nashville (two goals, three assists). He ranks third in the NHL (min. 50 faceoffs taken) in faceoff win percentage this season (62.7%; 64-for-102).

SPECIAL TEAMS

Power Play:

The Rangers were 0-for-2 (4:00) on Oct. 26 vs. Arizona.

New York has tallied a power play goal in five of 11 games this season.

Oct. 28, 1959 – Camille Henry tallied his 100th career NHL goal as the Rangers rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the third period to tie the Detroit Red Wings, 3-3, at MSG.

Oct. 28, 2002 – Mike Richter made 29 saves to earn his 300th career NHL win as the Rangers defeated the Phoenix Coyotes, 3-2, in overtime at MSG. Richter became the first goaltender to earn 300 wins as a member of the Rangers in franchise history.